Today is the beginning of a new era. A time of change. A glorious new beginning… Politics aside, we now have a President who understands the power of the internet. As of 12:01 p.m. EST, White House dot gov has a new look.

Powered by some form of ASP, it’s a valid XHTML site. Getting a Microsoft based site to validate is an impressive feat all by itself, but this one is done with style. As well as the usual stuff you’d expect on a government site, they’ve included a blog and photo galleries. Not only included the blog and galleries, but made them the face of the site. Rotating imagery, dynamic content, and enough RSS feeds to satisfy even… me.

I have to admit, I’m rather impressed. Who really knows how the Presidency will go, but I like the start. Neat, clean and very professional looking.  You could almost say, Presidential.

My hat is tipped to the designer. Beautifully done.

The ruling is in! In a 5-4 ruling, the DC gun ban has been struck down. Justice Scalia, writing for the majority, had several interesting things to say.

“The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”

“…the requirement that any lawful firearm in the home be disassembled or bound by a trigger lock makes it impossible for citizens to use arms for the core lawful purpose of self-defense and is hence unconstitutional.”

I was happy to see that the historically traditional definition of “militia” was reiterated quite early in syllabus of the document. Both Majority and Minority opinions seem to be using this same definition as far as I can tell.

“…comprised all males physically capable of acting in concert for the common defense.”

It’s nice to see that clarified. It seemed quite obvious to me that the writers of the Bill of Rights would have used that definition of militia, but you often see it confused with a more modern interpretation in modern political discourse.

Th legal language is, at times, difficult to follow, but impressive none the less. The legal history and documentation presented on both sides of the argument are fascinating to read. I’m looking forward to finishing it.

SCOTUSblog has the opinion in it’s entirety.

From The Frontlines, Ustream.TV.

Melanie Morgan and Michelle Malkin are hosting a fund raising effort to send care packages to troops in Iraq. If they live up to their own hype, it should be quite spectacular.

We’ve got a star-studded line-up of troops, military charities, celebs, and talk radio stars — from Rush Limbaugh and Mark Levin to Dr. Laura and Laura Ingraham to musician John Ondrasik and “Lone Survivor” author and Navy SEAL hero Marcus Luttrell — who’ll be joining us in our eight-hour marathon fund-raising drive to help send the largest number of care packages in history to our men and women in uniform serving overseas. – Michelle Malkin

Go check it out.

Disabled Iraqi children get wheelchairs, big smiles – CNN.com

Blauser points to one of his favorite photographs, of a father carrying his son in his arms, an endless desert road behind him. He had carried his son more than 6 miles to get a wheelchair. “In August 2006 we had a distribution in northern Iraq,” Blauser remembered. “We watched him [the father] come forward, and people rushed to take the boy from his arms. And he said, ‘No, I’ve been carrying this child all my life. I can carry him the last 100 yards to receive his wheelchair.’ ” – Brad Blauser

I look forward to seeing how this turns out.

“While I am prepared to show they lied on allegation after allegation, you have generously offered to pay one million dollars for just one thing that can be proven false,” Kerry wrote to Pickens. “I am prepared to prove the lie beyond any reasonable doubt.”

“When you have done so, if you can then prove anything in the ads was materially untrue, I will gladly award $1 million. As you know, I have been a long and proud supporter of the American military and veterans’ causes,” Pickens wrote.

I personally think Mr. Kerry will be eating crow here, but I may be wrong. I find it heard to think that Mr. Picket would put himself in the position to loose a public bet like this. He seems like a betting man to me, one that doesn’t loose much, or often.

“I see stupid strikes, and I see less stupid strikes. I see smart strikes,” Eisner said in the keynote, which was structured as a conversation with Neil P. Cavuto, senior vice president and managing editor of Fox Business News. “This is a stupid strike.”

The problem, Eisner said, is that the Writer’s Guild is lobbying for a bigger cut of the profits from digital distribution–and according to the former Disney chief, those profits simply aren’t there. – Michael Eisner

You can agree or disagree with Mr. Eisner on the stupidity of this strike. He lost what little credibility his argument might have had though, when his attention turned to Apple.

The studios “make deals with Steve Jobs, who takes them to the cleaners. They make all these kinds of things, and who’s making money? Apple! They should get a piece of Apple. If I was a union, I’d be striking up wherever he is.”

I don’t really follow either point he’s trying to make. Writers should strike at Apple? Where did that come from? His first argument, that I quoted in part, is the one that really stuck with me. He seems to be suggesting that since the business of online content doesn’t make any money, studios shouldn’t have to pay the writers… Do you think he uses this policy in his own business? The article mentions that his current company’s first venture with online content “didn’t make money”. How much do you want to bet that Mr. Eisner got paid despite this lack of profits?

Blogger News Network is linking to What Part of ‘Illegal’ Don’t You Understand?

“Illegal” is accurate insofar as it describes a person’s immigration status. About 60 percent of the people it applies to entered the country unlawfully. The rest are those who entered legally but did not leave when they were supposed to. The statutory penalties associated with their misdeeds are not insignificant, but neither are they criminal. You get caught, you get sent home.

Since the word modifies not the crime but the whole person, it goes too far. It spreads, like a stain that cannot wash out. It leaves its target diminished as a human, a lifetime member of a presumptive criminal class. People are often surprised to learn that illegal immigrants have rights. Really? Constitutional rights? But aren’t they illegal? Of course they have rights: they have the presumption of innocence and the civil liberties that the Constitution wisely bestows on all people, not just citizens.

Good blog, good post. Go read it.

It’s nice to see your own thoughts mirrored by someone else. When they say it much better than you ever could, it’s even better.

One of the real tragedies of the situation at Virginia Tech is that misguided administrators created a gun free zone where someone like this crazed individual could prey on other students, staff and faculty who were powerless to defend themselves.

That said, availability of guns or lack of concealed weapons isn’t the primary cause of the events at Virginia Tech. – By Sheriff Jim Alderden – Bull’s Eye Briefing

h/t Joe’s Crabby Shack: Little Known Fact: No. 2

What a great idea. Documenting day to day life on America’s Southwest border. It’s a moment in history that should be recorded, and here it is. Border Film Project

Cartoonist Chris Muir’s account of his embed in Iraq is now available. As humorous as you’d expect from someone who puts out Day by Day.

Report: Chris Muir from Iraq (The Fourth Rail)

We fly out on a cool C-130, which becomes somewhat less cool when the pilot does the standard “Figure 8″ missile avoidance landing in Baghdad. Everyone is strapped close together in in the cargo bay, hence projectile vomiting is frowned upon.

h/t Cold Fury

Trackposted to Perri Nelson’s Website, Allie Is Wired, Big Dog’s Weblog, A Few Shiny Pebbles, Overtaken by Events, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, and Conservative Cat, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

I was going to stay out of the Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan discussion, but this is one of the stupidest public statements I’ve ever heard. I just couldn’t pass it up.

“they have both assured me that it was never their intention to malign anyone’s faith, and I take them at their word.”
- John Edwards ’08 Blog

“I take them at their word.” Does that now mean something different than it used to? If you take them at what they blog about, then it seems obvious then Ms. Marcotte at least, clearly meant to malign someone’s faith.

Don’t get me wrong, I can understand hiring them, even keeping them, though I wouldn’t have done either. What the Edwards campaign seems to be ignoring though, is that these bloggers, like the rest of us, have spent a lot of time and effort defining themselves on their blogs. To read their blogs is to know who they are. Suggesting that they are somehow something different than that, is doing us a disservice. Hire them, fire them, or keep them, I don’t care. Just don’t lie to yourself or to us about who they are.

h/t Hot Air and Patterico’s Pontifications.

Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, The Virtuous Republic, Perri Nelson’s Website, A Blog For All, The Random Yak, Big Dog’s Weblog, basil’s blog, Shadowscope, Stuck On Stupid, Cao’s Blog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Jo’s Cafe, Conservative Cat, Conservative Thoughts, third world county, Faultline USA, stikNstein… has no mercy, Pirate’s Cove, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

How safe are our borders? Raj Peter Bhakta, running for the House of Representatives in Pennsylvania decided to test it. He rode an elephant into the US from Mexico, with a Mariachi band for accompaniment.

Brownsville Herald

“If I can get an elephant led by a mariachi band into this country, I think Osama bin Laden could get across with all the weapons of mass destruction he could get into this country,” Bhakta said.

The mariachi band was not immediately available for comment.

h/t Hot Air and Instapundit.com -

TenNapel.com – Hunger Strike

No peas; Know peace. You’re skipping a meal so that we will abandon the Iraqi people to terrorists? Perhaps the word “peace” means something different these days.

Doug TenNapel has a great post on the upcoming hunger strike by war protesters. He already has a counter protest in mind.

I’m going to start a rolling glutton-support-strike. For every day our troops stay in battle, I want to thank them by eating an extra meal of hot-dogs, chili, pizza and beer. Then after 24 hours I’m going to call a fellow conservative and pass the baton-o-support to them.

Yea, I know, I said I wasn’t going to post for a few days, but this was really funny. This would be an easy protest for me as I’ve been eating about the equivalent of an extra meal a day for the last week. My wife’s cooking is always spectacular, but she’s been particularly inspired this week. Homemade blueberry ice cream, grilled chicken, fresh muffins… Quick, pass the torch!

Recommendation of Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano with Regard to Investigation of Research Misconduct | Ward Churchill | Special Report | News Center | University of Colorado at Boulder

After conducting the due diligence I felt was necessary, I have come to a decision regarding the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Research Misconduct pertaining to Professor Ward Churchill. Today, I issued to Professor Churchill a notice of intent to dismiss him from his faculty position at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

It looks like Mr. Churchill’s finally annoyed his University enough that they’re taking action. It’s about time. While I was upset about his little Eichmann comments I can understand they were protected by the First Amendment. What bothered me more than anything was his apparent misrepresentation of himself as Native American. I don’t understand how the University stood for that in their initial review. I have no problem with the head of Native American Studies at a University not being Native American as long as they were otherwise the best candidate. But isn’t honesty and integrity worth something? If he represented himself as something he was not, something as key to his philosophy and beliefs as his race, how could they let him stay? Apparently his University has finally reached that conclusion itself.

h/t HotAir

How could someone protest a funeral? What kind of lower life form do you have to be to think protesting at a funeral is a good idea? The moral bankruptcy that is involved on the protesters side leaves me in fear for our society. That someone would go to a funeral with the expectation of seeing the grieving family and then taunting them leaves me speechless. That there hasn’t been more violence at one of these protests is a credit to the self restraint of the grieving families.

The complaint states five causes of action, all of which allege sufficient outrageousness as to warrant punitive damages. That’s the key; the Snyders probably can’t collect enough by way of actual damages to take douchey’s land and put him in the poorhouse. So its punitives or bust – unless other military families follow the Snyders’ lead here and file suits of their own. In that case, the legal fees alone might be enough to break him.

The family’s website is www.matthewsnyder.org.

Good luck to the Snyder’s on their case.

HotAir.com has the just released Video of plane hitting Pentagon on 9/11

Not very clear, but something big passes through the frame. Conspiracy theorists will claim fake, but if the government wanted to fake this, wouldn’t they have done a better job?

Reminds me a bad commercial. “You have the right to keep and bear arms… Unless we say otherwise.” Exactly how do you define Right again?

ChannelOklahoma.com – News – Authority To Confiscate Guns During Emergencies Considered

OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma legislator said he hopes to make some changes to a new law that makes it illegal for authorities to confiscate weapons during a state of emergency.

“During states of emergency, I think police need total control. They don’t need to worry who has guns and who doesn’t. If the governor calls for Oklahomans to relinquish their guns, the public needs to do so,” Shelton said.

Atlas Shrugged the Movie?

Ayn Rand’s most ambitious novel may finally be brought to the bigscreen after years of false starts.

Lionsgate has picked up worldwide distribution rights to “Atlas Shrugged” from Howard and Karen Baldwin (“Ray”), who will produce with John Aglialoro.

As for stars, book provides an ideal role for an actress in lead character Dagny Taggart, so it’s not a stretch to assume Rand enthusiast Angelina JolieAngelina Jolie’s name has been brought up. Brad PittBrad Pitt, also a fan, is rumored to be among the names suggested for lead male character John Galt.

I can’t think of two worse actors to play in this movie than Jolie and Pitt. Roseanne Barr and any of her ex-husbands seems a more likely pair. You know that Pitt and Jolie will try to spin the theme of the movie in some way. I loved the book, but I’d much rather it was never made into a movie than see it done badly.

h/t to Rob at the SayAnythingBlog.

Signal 94 has a great post on the Border Security and Immigration Fraud
Signal 94: A Failure To Protect

If I remember correctly, the Homeland Security Act of 2002 established broad powers for federal agencies to gather and share information. Except if it actually may indicate if someone is breaking the law.

OpinionJournal – Featured Article

In July 1982, Saddam Hussein was nearly killed there when gunmen opened fire on his motorcade. The dictator’s reprisal came swiftly: That night, security forces arrested 350 villagers, including 15-year-old Ahmad Hassan Mohammad. “They blindfolded me,” Mr. Mohammad recalled while testifying during Saddam’s trial in Baghdad last December. “But I was so young, it [the blindfold] kept falling.”

He described seeing “a machine that looked like a grinder and had some blood and hair [on it and] I saw bodies of people from Dujail.” Of Mr. Mohammad’s 10 brothers, seven were murdered by Saddam’s henchmen, along with 141 others from Dujail.

As with Lidice, Dujail was razed and its orchards bulldozed. Also like Lidice, the purpose of the massacre was not to dispense justice but to make an example of the villagers. “You people of Dujail, we have disciplined Iraq through you,” Mr. Mohammad recalled one of the torturers saying.

Last week, Saddam acknowledged in court that he had ordered the summary trial that led to the execution of the villagers and the destruction of their farmland. “Where is the crime?” he asked, claiming that as president of Iraq all his actions were lawful. Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg trial famously adopted a similar defense.

So he admits to ordering the torture and execution of hundreds, but denies it’s a crime?